Situational awareness - March 23, 2018

Situational awareness - March 23, 2018

Good Friday morning from Salt Lake City. Welcome to Utah's must-read daily political news roundup. 

Gov. Herbert says lawmakers are infringing in areas they shouldn't be. More shakeups in the White House. Congress passes a massive spending bill.

Tick Tock

• 23 days until the signature-gathering deadline for statewide ballot initiatives (4/15/2018)
• 29 days until the Utah GOP State Convention (4/21/2018)
• 36 days until the Utah Democratic State Convention (4/28/2018)
• 95 days until the 2018 Primary Election (6/26/2018)
• 228 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)
• 311 days until the first day of the 2019 Utah Legislature (1/28/2019)
• 957 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)

Do you like podcasts? Give us a download! Listen to our interviews with Utah political newsmakers and "Bernick and Schott on politics" while you're on the go. Hosts Bryan Schott and Bob Bernick have more than 60 years combined experience covering Utah politics, so they bring you knowledge and insight that's unprecedented. You can subscribe using iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher.

Got a tip or story idea? Send me an email at bschott@utahpolicy.com.

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Here's what's driving the day

Overstepping their bounds

Gov. Gary Herbert thinks lawmakers may have encroached too far on some territory that normally belongs to the executive branch during the just-completed session [Utah Policy].

What a week!

Bob Bernick and Bryan Schott tiptoe through a monumental week in Utah politics. Watch the video here [Utah Policy].

Listen to a podcast of our week in review here [Utah Policy].

Time to end the fight against SB54

Bob Bernick ways opponents of the signature-gathering route to the ballot were routed in court this week and should stop wasting everybody else's time [Utah Policy].

See you in the "Sweet 16"

The last 16 contestants in our 2018 Utah political bracket are set. Check out the updated bracket as we get ready for the "Sweet 16" next week [Utah Policy].

Other Utah Headlines

• A mysterious company called "Ayers Energy" is buying up drilling rights in Utah's canyon country, but nobody knows tho the firm really is [Tribune].
   
• Gov. Gary Herbert says it's time for the Utah GOP to give up their fight against SB54 [Deseret News].
   
• The Davis County GOP accused Mitt Romney of illegally obtaining delegate lists following Tuesday night's caucus meetings. The party later backed off that message [Tribune]. 
   
• Rep. Chris Stewart wants to see "more aggressive" oversight of social media following the revelation that 50 million Facebook users had their personal data taken by a data firm employed by Donald Trump's campaign [Deseret News].
   
• Gov. Herbert says he wants to tighten up school security to prevent violence like the mass shooting at a Florida high school [Tribune].
   
• Democrats in Grand County say the GOP-dominated legislature launched a "sneak attack" by passing a bill allowing the county to change their form of government [Moab Times-Independent].

National headlines

• President Trump ousts H.R. McMaster as national security adviser and replaces him with Fox News personality John Bolton [Washington Post].
   
• President Trump's top lawyer in the Russia investigation resigns citing disagreements about strategy in the case [CNN].
   
• President Trump reportedly mused about firing chief of staff John Kelly and not replacing him. Instead, Trump mused of imposing a system where top aides would report directly to him [NBC News].
   
• Congress approved a $1.3 billion spending bill to avoid a government shutdown. The only member of Utah's delegation who voted in favor of the omnibus spending bill was Sen. Orrin Hatch [Washington Post].
   
• Shortly after the Trump administration slapped $60 billion in tariffs on China, the Chinese government fired back with a threat to impose tariffs on American goods. The news caused the Dow to plummet more than 700 points [Washington Post].
   
• The House Intelligence Committee voted to release the Republican report on their investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election [ABC News].
   
• Guccifer 2.0, the hacker who took credit for providing stolen emails from the Democratic National Committee to WikiLeaks, inadvertently revealed himself to be a Russian intelligence officer [Daily Beast].
   
• President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden trade schoolyard insults [New York Times].
   
• A new poll finds most teachers in the U.S. do not want to carry guns in the classroom. Rather they would prefer gun control measures instead of "hardening" security at schools [NPR].
   
• Former Playboy model Karen McDougal goes public with details of her 10-month affair with President Trump [CNN].

On this day in history

• 1775 - Patrick Henry delivers his speech - "Give me liberty, or give me death!" - in Richmond, Virginia.
   
• 1933 - The Reichstag passes the Enabling Act of 1933, making Adolf Hitler dictator of Germany.
   
• 1977 - The first of the Nixon Interviews (12 will be recorded over four weeks) are videotaped with British journalist David Frost interviewing former President Richard Nixon about the Watergate scandal.
   
• 1983 - The world's first recipient of a permanent artificial heart, Barney Clark, died in a Salt Lake City hospital.
   
• 1983 - President Ronald Reagan called for the development of an anti-missile defense system to protect the U.S. from nuclear attacks. The Strategic Defense Initiative was dubbed "Star Wars."

Today At Utah Policy

Time to give up the ghost on SB54 - Bernick and Schott on politics Ep. 366
By Bryan Schott and Bob Bernick
The Utah GOP loses another court battle over SB54....

Bob Bernick's notebook: A court gives the Utah GOP back to Republicans
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
And with one clear slap, the federal 10th Circuit Court of Appeals deals a deathblow to GOP opponents of SB54....

The 'Sweet 16' in our Utah political bracket challenge is set
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Our 2018 Utah political bracket challenge is down to the final 16 competitors....

Herbert worried lawmakers may have overstepped their authority with some bills from the 2018 session
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Gov. Gary Herbert says he is considering a veto of legislation that he sees as overstepping the separation of powers between the executive and legislative branch....

The 2018 Utah income tax cut: What are the impacts?
By Press Release
A new Utah Foundation report reveals the results of changes to the state's income tax resulting from the 2018 legislative session....

Weekly survey: Next steps for the Utah GOP after their latest court defeat?
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
The Utah GOP lost their latest court fight against SB54 after a federal court upheld the signature-gathering path to the ballot. Should the party continue their legal appeals, or drop the lawsuit and admit defeat? Vote now in our weekly survey....

Podcast: Bernick and Schott on politics Ep. 366
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Bob Bernick and Bryan Schott churn through a monumental week in Utah politics....

Policy News

Casual Friday: Weekend Events & Outdoors Report
Outdoor Notes--Tribune:Obscure company called Ayers Energy bought a bunch of controversial public-lands leases in Utah's San Juan County - but who's actually behind it?Weekend EventsConcerts-- Bonham-Verzosa Viola-Piano Duo,Zion Canyon Arts Foundation, Friday, 7 p.m., Canyon...

Local Headlines

Salt Lake Tribune

Editorial: Students should eat breakfast - and Utah schools should make sure it happens

Charter school administrator is 'praying for a wall' to stop illegal immigration

Obscure company called Ayers Energy bought a bunch of controversial public-lands leases in Utah's San Juan County

Utah's caucus-goers report low turnout. But who or what is to blame?

Gehrke: Deyvid gets to stay, for now, but his story and thousands like it demand action on immigration reform

Gov. Herbert says it's time to tighten gun rights to prevent school shootings

Gov. Herbert signs another 44 bills, including a $1.7M fee break for EnergySolutions

Sen. Orrin Hatch is the sole Utahn in Congress who voted for the omnibus spending bill that just passed

In now-softened Facebook post, Davis County GOP hit Mitt Romney for 'illegally obtaining' delegate list early to gain an edge

Deseret News

A. Scott Anderson: Retiring lawmakers leave after tackling big ideas

Utah Rep. John Curtis: Setting the record straight on allegations I protected an abuser

Jay Evensen: 23 years later, and still no convention hotel

Editorial: Empower local communities to attack the opioid crisis

The fastest-growing metro area is in Utah, new report says

Utah Rep. Chris Stewart calls for social media oversight, wants to see Zuckerberg

Herbert pushes GOP to drop fight against signature gathering

Other

Editorial: Utah GOP caucuses can't overcome flaws (Daily Herald)

National Headlines

House Probe Accuses Clapper of Misleading Congress (Free Beacon)

Democratic candidates try something new to cope with anti-Pelosi campaign attacks: Disavowing her (Los Angeles Times)

Retirees Reshape Where Americans Live (Wall Street Journal)

Metro area populations surge as rural America shrinks (The Hill)

Trump says he'd like to testify in Russia probe (Associated Press)

Trump names former ambassador John Bolton as his new national security adviser (Washington Post)

Bolton Brings Hawkish Perspective To North Korea, Iran Strategy (NPR)

China threatens to raise tariffs on about $3 billion of U.S. imports (Washington Post)

Tillerson bids farewell to a 'mean-spirited town' (Washington Post)

Democratic congressman suggests Second Amendment solution for Trump (USA Today)

The FBI is investigating a ransomware attack on the city of Atlanta (CNN)

Wise Words

Good Product

"A market is never saturated with a good product, but it is very quickly saturated with a bad one." Henry Ford
 

Lighter Side

Wow

"After residents in Birmingham complained about the terrible smell, New York City has agreed to stop sending railcars full of the city's excess sewage to a landfill in Alabama. Yeah, train cars filled with human waste and an unbearable smell - or, as that's called in New York, the subway." James Corden